Pratik Poddar

Why I think Google+ is Awesome!

2011-07-07T15:47:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: I am not claiming that it will be big. Just that it has some interesting features.

Summarizing by this image:

Google Plus has taken the commenting, uploading, liking feature of facebook. Except the groups thing, it has everything facebook has.

It has taken following feature from twitter. You do not have to accept if I am following you. This is plain awesome. Its actually more powerful that twitter as you can point whether this post is for everyone or for a select group.

Notice the orange and green coloured balls the in the image related to google plus. It brings out a very important characteristic. Me and a lot of my friends were discussing since last 2 years that facebook had made my friend structure really flat. I have lots of friends. Even the friend whom I would not have called even once in 5 years knows everything about me if I am posting regularly. My best friend does not feel special as I am not calling him to tell him what happened to me today. There was a really flat friend structure.
Also, Some posts do not make sense for different sets of people. For example, some of my posts are for my friends from IITB and people from Morgan Stanley do not understand them. On the other hand, if I post some office incident, then it does not make sense to most of my friends. Hence, we all could see a need to partition(?) or label (gmail terminology) friends. G+ achieves exactly that. So I can have two seperate circles as IITB and Morgan Stanley and get rid of my problem. I can have another smaller circle as Best friends where I can post personal things. I can have another circle called Dram Junta and I can post plays/movies reviews and so on.
For celebrities, they can have their personal social networking site and their fan follwing site at one place.

Looks cool to me! Hope this is a success and users do not discard a better social networking site just because they were too lazy to change. Cheers!

It has the best of all worlds!

Vagina Monologues

2011-07-07T14:05:00.001+05:30

Of course, I am no one to comment on the great play by Eve Ensler, but just wanted to express how beautiful the play is.

Everyone knows that this play is:
1) A number of monologues read by 4 women
2) Every monologue somehow relates to the vagina
3) Expresses the feelings of the vagina personified

Positives:
1) Forward Looking and Progressive play - important in a country like India where sex education is virtually absent
2) Amazingly well written script - spicy but not even a hint of vulgarity

Negatives:
1) The script has a flavor of Anti-male sentiments
2) Since its pro-sex but anti-male, I see a pro-lesbian feature in the play

Must Watch! They are coming again this month in Palladium Mall, Mumbai.

Wall Street Themed Movies

2011-05-27T20:02:00.001+05:30

American Psycho
Barbarians at the Gate
Boiler Room
Bonfire of the Vanities
Capitalism: A Love Story
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Fall of Lehman Brothers
Glengarry Glen Ross
Inside Job
Limit Up
Margin Call
Other People’s Money
Owning Mahowny
Quants: The Alchemists of Wall Street
Rogue Trader
The Bank
The Last Days Of Lehman Brothers
Trading Places
Wall Street
Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps
Working Girl

IITians in Dilbert

2011-04-09T17:58:00.000+05:30

Another one.

You can find more here and here

Cities Visited

2010-12-30T23:01:00.000+05:30

13 states and 3 union territories visited this year :)

Asia

Hong Kong (SAR): Hong Kong Island

India: Agra

India: Ahmadabad

India: Anandpur

India: Anandpur Sahib

India: Badarinath

India: Bhakra

India: Chandigarh

India: Chennai

India: Chidambaram

India: Colangute

India: Delhi

India: Faridkot

India: Gangotri

India: Goa

India: Haridwar

India: Hyderabad

India: Jaipur

India: Joshimath

India: Kanchipuram

India: Kanniyakumari

India: Kedarnath

India: Kolkata

India: Kot Kapura

India: Kota

India: Kumbakonam

India: Madurai

India: Mamallapuram

India: Mumbai

India: Mussoorie

India: Nagercoil

India: Nangal Dam

India: New Delhi

India: Panaji

India: Patna

India: Pondicherry

India: Pushkar

India: Ranchi

India: Renigunta

India: Rishikesh

India: Rudraprayag

India: Srirangam

India: Srisailam

India: Suchindram

India: Thanjavur

India: Thiruvananthapuram

India: Tirumala

India: Tirupati

India: Ujjain

India: Uttarkashi

India: Vishnuprayag

India: Yamnotri

Europe

Austria: Hellbrunn

Austria: Salzburg

Austria: Werfen

Belgium: Bruges

France: Etretat

France: Marseille

France: Montpellier

France: Nice

France: Paris

France: Versailles

Germany: Dachau

Germany: Munich

Monaco: Monaco

Netherlands: Amsterdam

Netherlands: Rotterdam

Switzerland: Engelberg

Switzerland: Interlaken

Switzerland: Lauterbrunnen

Switzerland: Zermatt

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This is as on date Dec 30 2010. For latest updates visit http://www.geckogo.com/profile/pratikpoddar

Aaall Izz Well With Shuturmurgh - Play Review

2010-10-24T00:59:00.004+05:30

(I am no professional. This review is just my understanding of theatre embedded into reviews by popular critics :P Not 100% original)

Date: 17 Oct 2010
Place: Prithvi Theatre

Play: Aaall Izz Well With Shuturmurgh

Direction: Ramesh Talwar
Cast: Aasif Shaikh, Bharat Kapoor, Rakesh Bedi, Vignesh Sinkar, Prashant Padale, Akhilendra Mishra, Kuldeep Singh, Rashmi Sharma, Manju Sharma

Length: 2 hours

Main Theme:
When Ostrich is surrounded by enemies, it buried its head and neck in sand and pretends that there is no ememy outside, pretends to be unaware of its bosy outside the sand. In the play, Ostrich or Shuturmurg is referenced many times, representing humans today. The play is an answer to current issues like CWG Corruption, Elephant Statues in UP and Vidarbha Farmers.

Story:
The story starts with a king of ShuturNagri and his three ministers. Then there is the common man, a naive wife, a hunger stricken maid and a reformer. The king of this land has only one obsession: to build a golden Shuturmurg in memory of his father and in order to do so, he spends the entire kingdom's money thus leaving its people poor, hungry and homeless. Virodhilal protests against the building of the Shuturmurg and thus becomes a representative of the common man. However he is quickly bribed and transformed to Subodhilal and made into the Vikas Mantri of Shuturmurg.

When the common man learns that their leader has been bought over, he gets very upset and decides to stand up for the poor. We also see that the queen's chamber maid is starving of hunger herself because her family back home does not have food to eat.

The scene with the queen and the old hungry man dying is the most powerful scene in the play. The naive queen has never seen a dying man before and wants to experiment on one to see how their hunger problem can be solved. It is an attempt to tell us how oblivious the rich man is to the poor man's plight.

Ultimately the King is abandoned by his ministers and shrewdly robbed of all his treasures. The King then begins to appreciate the value of the common man who only wants to bring justice to the people of Shuturmurg.

Acting:
The act of the old dying man is played really well by Kuldeep Singh. Bharat Kapoor and Rakesh Bedi (Mohan Srivastava of Yes Boss) acting was consistent throughout the play. the gay king role was played very well by Aashif Sheikh. The lead roles were able to carry themselves well, neither too good nor too bad. Among the actors with small stage presence, Kuldeep Singh (old man playing the role of dying hungry old man) was exceptional and live while Rashmi Sharma (the lady who played the role of the queen) was mediocre and at times irritating.

Music:
I am still singing the title song. The music captured the mood of the play well.

Costumes/Props:
The costume of all the characters was ordinary and as expected. The king's props were funny and were used optimally. The use of irritating ping pong by the king to accentuate his gay character was creative and smart.

Questions:
1) Why was the king gay? What was the writer trying to tell us with that?
2) Why did the king have to lose at the end? Did the write want us to conclude that some politicians lose? It was fine in the age when kings ruled. The king who believed his ministers too much would be doomed could have been the moral. But in today's setting, when king is representing politicans, it does not make sense.

Rajnikanth Jokes

2010-10-22T21:34:00.011+05:30

(Update Dec 20, 2010: Some new ones added. Credits to Prashant Soni)

Recently China airports were closed due to heavy fog, later it was discovered that Rajnikant was smoking in India!

Rajnikant did his KG from seven different places, today those places are known as IITs!

Government of India pays tax to Rajnikant for living in India!

Definition of Solar Eclipse: When Rajnikant stares at Sun with anger, sun hides behind the moon. This phenomena is called solar eclipse

Think about what would have happened if Rajnikant was born 150 years ago? British would have fought for independence

Why do Earthquakes occur? Because at that time Rajnikant's mobile is on vibration mode

Why did Rajni buy an acre of land with 4 wells on wach corner? To play carrom..

Before Tom Cruise, Rajani was approached for the movie Mission Impossible, but Rajani refused as he found the title insulting.

Rajnikanths next project. Titanic in Tamil. Climax revised. Both survive. Rajnikant swims across the Atlantic Ocean with heroine in one hand and… Titanic in the other.

The Sardarji Association has decided to donate one hundred billion dollars to Rajanikant as a token of thanks for shifting people's focus away from them!!

Rajnikant can count real numbers

Only Rajni can dislike on Facebook

Rajnikant was born on 30th February. since then February decided not to give this day to anybody else

When Rajnikant hits facebook.com, facebook updates its status message!

Rajni once killed 20 men just by saying "BANG"

Rajni will be the star lead in the remake of the movie '300'. It will now be called '1'

Rajnikant first takes Gold Medal and then starts the race

Paul the Octopus was asked to predict when Rajnikant will die. Paul died....!!

Rajnikant has counted to infinty - Twice

Micheal Jordan to Rajni : I can spin a ball on my finger for over 2 hours. Can you?
Rajni : Rascala; how do you think the earth spins!?

Once upon a time, while playing, Rajnikanth said "statue" to a girl... Now that statue is known as "Statue of Liberty"!

Ghosts are actually caused by Rajanikanth killing people faster than death can process them.

Rajanikanth can build a snowman..... out of rain.

Rajanikanth can strangle you with a cordless phone.

Rajanikanth can kill a shark by drowning it.

When Rajanikanth enters a room, he doesn't turn the lights on,............. he turns the darkness off.

When Rajanikanth looks in a mirror it shatters, because the mirror is not stupid enough to get in between the two Rajanikanths

Rajanikanth's calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd, no one can fool Rajanikanth.

Once a cobra bit Rajanikanth' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.

When Rajanikanth gives you the finger, he's telling you how many seconds you have left to live.

Leading hand sanitizers claim they can kill 99.9 percent of germs. Rajanikanth can kill 100 percent of whatever he wants.

There is no such thing as global warming. Rajanikanth was feeling cold, so brought the sun closer to heat the earth up.

Rajanikanth can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass...at night.

It takes Rajanikanth 20 minutes to watch "60 Minutes" on TV.

In an average living room there are 1,242 objects that Rajanikanth could use to kill you, including the room itself.

Rajanikanth destroyed the periodic table, because Rajanikanth only recognizes the element of surprise.

With the rising cost of gasoline, Rajanikanth is beginning to worry about his drinking habit.

The square root of Rajanikanth is pain. Do not try to square Rajanikanth, the result is death.

If you say "no one's perfect", Rajanikanth takes it as a personal insult.

When Rajnikant does pushups, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the earth down.

Rajnikant doesn’t wear a watch, he decides what time it is!!

Rajnikant’s house has no doors, only walls that he walks through.

Rajnikant grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage.

The Bermuda Triangle used to be the Bermuda Square, until Rajnikant kicked one of the corners off.

Rajnikant once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills, they just made him blink.

Chuck Norris once met Rajinikanth. The result – He was reduced to a joke on the internet.

Rajinikanth kills Harry Potter in the ninth book.

Rajinikanth calls Voldemort by his name.

Rajinikanth gave the Joker those scars.

To be or not to be? That is the question. The answer? Rajinikanth.

10 actors have played the role of James Bond. No one has been able to enact Rajnikant… THE REAL JAMES BOND.

Why do you think there are no superheroes in india…. Simple… no one can invade Rajnikant’s territory.

Rajanikanth can delete the Recycling Bin.

Bill Gates lives in constant fear that Rajanikanth’s PC will crash.

Rajnikant’s email id is gmail@rajnikant.com

If you Google search ‘Rajnikant getting kicked’, you will generate zero results. It just doesn’t happen.

Google won’t find Rajinikanth because you don’t find Rajinikanth; Rajinikanth finds you.

Rajinikanth can make PCs better than the Mac.

If you spell Rajanikanth wrong on Google it doesn’t say, “Did you mean Rajanikanth?” It simply replies, “Run while you still have the chance.”

The only man who ever outsmarted Rajinikanth was Stephen Hawking, and he got what he deserved.

When Rajinikanth plays Monopoly, it affects the actual world economy.

Rajinikanth knows what women really want.

Time and tide wait for Rajinikanth.

Rajinikanth sneezed only once in his entire life, that’s when the tsunami occurred in the Indian ocean.

As a child when Rajinikanth had dyslexia, he simply re-scripted the alphabet.

Rajinikanth leaves messages before the beep.

The last time Rajinikanth killed someone, he slapped himself to do it. The other guy just disintegrated. Resonance.

Rajinikanth can answer a missed call.

Rajinikanth doesn’t need a visa to travel abroad, he just jumps from the tallest building in Chennai and holds himself in the air while the earth rotates.

Rajinikanth’s brain works faster than Chacha Chaudhury’s.

Rajinikanth has already been to Mars, that’s why there are no signs of life there.

Rajinikanth doesn’t move at the speed of light. Light moves at the speed of Rajinikanth.

Rajinikanth knows Victoria’s secret.

Water boils faster when Rajinikanth stares at it.

Rajinikanth got small pox when he was a kid. As a result small pox is now eradicated.

There is no such thing as evolution, it’s just a list of creatures that Rajinikanth allowed to live.

Rajnikanth can divide by zero.

Rajinikanth can win at Solitaire with only 18 cards.

Rajinikanth did in fact, build Rome in a day.

Rajinikanth once kicked a horse in the chin. Its descendants are today called giraffes.

Rajinikanth killed the Dead Sea.

Rajnikant’s every step is a mini whirlwind. Hurricane Katrina was the result of his morning jog!

Where there is a will, there’s a way. Where there is Rajnikant, there is no other way!!

There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Rajnikant lives in Chennai!

Rajnikant gave Mona Lisa that smile.

Rajnikant can make calls from his iPod to his iPad

Once Rajnikaant signed a cheque… and the Bank bounced!

Once Death had ‘near Rajnikant experience’ !!

When GOD is shocked he exclaims “Oh my Rajnikaant!”‌

Great mystery solved : the missing piece of apple in Apple’s Logo was eaten by Rajnikant!!

The world is not ending in 2012…. Rajnikant just bought a laptop with 3 yrs warranty!!‌

Rajnikant knows the exact value of Pi upto a Googol

Rajnikant knows what came first, chicken or egg!!

Rajnikant once won an argument with his wife

Investment Banker :P

2010-09-17T21:07:00.004+05:30

Convocation

2010-08-18T21:02:00.002+05:30

My first post after joining my job!! \m/ \m/
Its not about job.. Its about convocation..

The official links (Link1 & Link2) say:
The Convocation Day marks the culmination of a students academic life for which he has striven so hard. :P

Before beginning, apologies to all my friends whom I could not meet during convocation as I had fever! :(
Nevertheless, went to the stage and got my degree and a convo pic :P \m/ \m/

Now the serious point.. As the Chief Guest speech, we should have got something better. Now, I can't help but compare Steve Jobs' and Oprah's speech to Stanford's graduating students and Bill Gates' speech to Havard graduating batch to the Aerodynamics Lecture we had. We should have got a better speech if not a better chief guest. :( Who chooses chief guests anyway? Thoughts on impeachment?

Indian Rupee Symbol - The deciding date is today

2010-06-24T11:34:00.002+05:30

(From pluggd.in and TOI)

We will have a new symbol for Indian National Rupee today.

The Union Cabinet will today decide on the symbol for Indian Rupee, a privilege (unique identity) available only to major currencies like dollar, euro, pound sterling and yen.

The proposal, said to be prompted by the growing influence of the Indian economy in the global arena, involves a shortlist of five symbols (finalists above) for the Indian rupee drawn up the finance ministry, reflecting the Indian ethos and culture.

1) The symbol should be applicable to standard keyboard
2) The symbol has to be in the Indian National Language Script or a visual representation
3) The symbol should represent the historical & cultural ethos of the country as widely accepted across the country

I think fourth one should be he winner. Both Devnagri and Roman script of Rupya and Rupee are visible in the symbol. The first and the second symbols definitely do not stand a chance. Go India Go!

Movies on Bombay

2010-06-20T15:53:00.004+05:30

Aamir, 2008 - Raj Kumar Gupta
Black Friday, 2006 - Anurag Kashyap
Bombay, 1996 - Mani Ratnam
Mithya, 2008 - Rajat Kapoor
Mumbai Cutting, 2009 - Various
Mumbai Meri Jaan, 2008 - Nishant Kamat
Page 3, 2005 - Madhur Bhandarkar
Salaam Bombay!, 1988 - Mira Nair
Satya, 1998 - Ram Gopal Varma
Company, 2002 - Ram Gopal Varma
Sarkar, 2005 - Ram Gopal Varma
Sarkar Raj, 2008 - Ram Gopal Varma
Slumdog Millionaire, 2008 - Danny Boyle
Tum Mile, 2009 - Kunal Deshmukh
26th July at Barista, 2008 - Mohan Sharma
Chandni Bar, 2001 - Madhur Bhandarkar

Watch them and then you will say "I love Bombay" :)
Can you suggest more movies?

As of June 20, 2010.. I have not seen Mumbai Cutting and Tum Mile (WTF? How could I miss them? :( Both released just before placement season. :() First thing to do when I reach IIT now.

Also find a Weird Things to do in Mumbai List here: http://pratikpoddar.blogspot.com/2009/12/weird-things-to-do-in-mumbai.html

Cities Visited

2010-06-15T13:05:00.001+05:30

Asia

Hong Kong (SAR): Hong Kong Island

India: Agra

India: Ahmadabad

India: Badarinath

India: Chennai

India: Colangute

India: Delhi

India: Gangotri

India: Goa

India: Haridwar

India: Jaipur

India: Joshimath

India: Kedarnath

India: Kolkata

India: Kota

India: Mumbai

India: Mussoorie

India: Panaji

India: Patna

India: Pushkar

India: Ranchi

India: Rishikesh

India: Rudraprayag

India: Ujjain

India: Uttarkashi

India: Vishnuprayag

India: Yamnotri

Europe

Austria: Hellbrunn

Austria: Salzburg

Austria: Werfen

Belgium: Bruges

France: Etretat

France: Marseille

France: Montpellier

France: Nice

France: Paris

France: Versailles

Germany: Dachau

Germany: Munich

Monaco: Monaco

Netherlands: Amsterdam

Netherlands: Rotterdam

Switzerland: Engelberg

Switzerland: Interlaken

Switzerland: Lauterbrunnen

Switzerland: Zermatt

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This is as on date June 15 2010. For latest updates visit http://www.geckogo.com/profile/pratikpoddar

Uttarakhand Tourism

2010-05-31T15:13:00.002+05:30

Just uploaded some photographs of my 14 Day Trip to Haridwar, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Mussoorie, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Rishikesh on facebook. Along with doing some good work, visiting some temples, enjoying nature and having some interesting philosophical discussions, I tried to learn some photography as well.

Link for the photographs is here

I will use this space to cheer for the Uttarakhand Government for the great tourism development in their state. Looks like the economy of the state is driven by tourism, at least in these 4 months. http://www.gmvnl.com/newgmvn/ shows the great work that they are doing. However I still do not understand some things. I am hoping that a localite would read this and answer.

1) Why are "Prayags" (Meeting point of two rivers) not developed as tourist spots? Two rivers, one grey, one green in colour meet at a point and form a beautiful scene. I could capture one of the prayags out of the 5 great prayags forming the Panchprayag. I am sure government and the people would be earning more if they were developed as tourist spots?

2) Why don't they put iron hashed or criss-cross barricades in temples? Don't they know that anyone can just cross an iron bar or a rope? Is it some sort of loophole left so that the pandits can get some extra income by allowing their people to get inside?

3) These mandirs have a lot of money. They spend crores of money on organisation and temple management. Why can't they hire trained people? Why do I not see an MBA from IIMA employed at the top temples of the country. They can easily pay them more than what McKinsey is paying. Why do our temples and its management still rely on pandits?

Purpose of Life - Version II

2010-05-28T19:49:00.002+05:30

I wrote a post on purpose of life a few day back. I had some interesting discussion and I am revisiting the post.

Some revelations:
1) Life does not have a purpose. Anything created does not have a purpose. Creator has a purpose. So, The creator of life has a purpose.
2) So, the purpose of life is the purpose its creator (God) would have while its creation. Any guesses?
3) As far as I can guess, God would have wanted us to live in such a way that we do not disturb god's world. We help it grow. We help it continue. We help it evolve. We improve the world.
4) So, Purpose of Life would be

Help those in need
Reproduction
Be happy and make others happy
Make the world a better place to be in
Change the way people live their lives, hopefully in a positive way

5) In Hindu Dharm, there are three types of Rin which must be paid off before one's death: Dev Rin, Pitra Rin and Rishi Rin. Dev Rin is paid off to Devtaa by doing Yagya; Pitra Rin is paid off to Pitar (ancestors) by forwarding one's Vansh (lineage or family line) i.e. by producing a son; and Rishi Rin is paid off by studying.

But Vaalmeeki Jee describes 5 types of Rin while Dashrath explains this to Raam -
(1) Dev Rin is paid off to celestials by doing Yagya and holy sacrifices;
(2) Pitra Rin is paid off to ancestors by producing a son to forward one's family line
(3) Rishi Rin is paid off by studying
(4) Braahman Rin is paid off to Braahman by giving donations and food to them
(5) Self Rin to self by enjoying all kinds of pleasures - means that one is all satisfied from this world.

Spiritual Development

2010-05-28T19:07:00.002+05:30

Read about this concept in Ignited Minds by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam but I could not appreciate it until a discussion that I had in a beautiful swiss cottage on a beautiful hill in God's own place Uttarakhand :P

Some of the ideas in the post are original. I have absolute faith in the idea and if you do not agree with me, I will love to have a discussion. :)

Dr Kalam identified five important areas to transform India. These are:
1) Education and Health Care
2) Agriculture
3) Information and Communication
4) Infrastructure
5) Critical Technology

Pramukh Swami Maharaj of Swaminarayan Sanstha at Ahmedabad suggested a sixth dimension:
6) Spirituality

I did not appreciate the sixth point that why do we need spiritual development for development of the country. But indeed, we need spiritual development. Spiritual development would comprise of the basic human quality to differentiate between good and bad, right and wrong, God and Satan. Spiritual development would include not cheating your family and your organization. It would put an end to corruption. It will put an end to crimes. It will put an end to riots and communal disturbances. We need to rekindle belief. This will make things easier for development.

Immediate actions that come to me that would imply spiritual development:
1) NO Corruption
2) NO Cheating in exams/labs (I am sorry for OS course case. As I said, we do not know how to differentiate between good and bad)
3) NO getting special privileges in Mandirs/Mosques/Churches because you have more power/money
4) Helping people in need - Discourage beggary though
5) NO to illegal drugs/alcohol
6) Pay Taxes

Best of Luck!! Let India Develop (Spiritually) !!

CPI/SPI

2010-05-11T16:42:00.003+05:30

Finally its over.. Passed all courses.. I always wanted to write this post.. Its not at all interesting.. But I always wanted to do the analysis..

Some not so well known generalizations of CPI: (which I have heard in the last 4 years)

My mentor, brother, friend, senior (all in one) told me before even I came into IIT, "CPI badhegi nahin giregi.. shuru mein acchi maar lena"

First year second sem... may of us are in the false impression.. "Abe wo to main padhta nahin hoon.. main padhta to main bhi dassi hota.. its just about choice". Bull shit statement hai.. Main kitna bhi padh leta 9.5 nahin hota.. ya phir main itna padh hi nahin sakta tha ki main 9.5 le aaoon..

Second year first sem.. "Ya to CPI le aaon.. ya CG/Manager Ban Jao.. Ek hi baat hai".. kfh? kitna stupid statement hai..

Third year second sem.. "CPI important to hai.. saali companies ko kaun bataye ki CPI basis par shortlist na kare.. us nehli se jyada CS to mujhe aata hi hai"

Fourth year first sem.. "Saala thodi si CPI bana li hoti.. 8.5 ke neeche shortlist nahin kar rahe saale"

Fourth year second sem.. "In the end, it doesn't even matter" :P

Berkeley Commencement Lecture

2010-05-06T20:10:00.002+05:30

Commencement Lecture by Prof. Satish Rao, University of California, Berkeley. (Congratulations! Letters and Sciences, Computer Science Majors, Class of 2003)

Link shared to me by Giridhar Addepalli, Senior Software Engineer, Yahoo! Banglore & IIT Kanpur Alumnus.

Enjoy!
--

John Henry was a steel-drivin man.

John Henry worked on the railroad, he drove steel. This consisted of driving a metal spike into the rock with a hammer. John Henry was the greatest of hammerers, as well as the best of gamblers, the biggest of drinkers, nastiest of ghters, and the best of lovers.

He was born to the railroad. When he was a baby, he told his momma that he would die with a hammer in his hand. More importantly, its how he fed him family. He worked on a legendary connector in West Virginia, which is a long tunnel in a mountain connecting two sections of track. It took years and hundreds of men to build. One day, a man brought a steam engine to the tunnel and said it could drive steel better than any man. So, a contest was made between John Henry and the steam engine.

For twelve long hours, John Henry hammered and the steam engine drilled. At the end, the tape was brought in to measure.

Wait...What does this story have to do with any of us? None of us are big strong men who make their living pounding steel into stone. For me, this story is about someone who did what he did with passion, pride, integrity and a undaunted optimism. I see these qualities in so many of you. You
have faced your connector, which has been graduating in computer science at Berkeley. Whether you were born to it, as John Henry was, or were drawn to it, or are doing it to earn your living, you've faced your challenges. Your steam engines were many, from crashing programs, to unfeeling autograders,
to difficult problem sets, to mystifying exams. You rose to these challenges with the integrity that comes from working hard and earnestly on what is put before you. To be honest, you young women and men mystify me. The harder the course, the more you to like it. The more you build, the more you want to build. You run, don't walk to get into courses that overwhelm me. Honestly, many people would consider you guys to be a little bit sick, ..but I am totally impressed.

I hope you know what you accomplish. You passed those tests, satisfied the autograders, and you maybe even solved a couple of those theory problems. Very cool. Again, the earnestness of your efforts, your thirst for doing things well, and your integrity generated these accomplishments. This is the sense in which your story is reected in John Henry's.

To me, the story of John Henry also gives a guide for the future. Again, a gambling, hard drinking, steel driving man, and computer science majors at Berkeley? I can't be telling you to go out and drink whiskey and gamble, well, at least not in front of your parents. Still, even that part of the legend does suggest that you are, you must be, de ned by more than just what you do for work. You will, of course, pursue many other things, including of course, you will pursue the opposite sex (or maybe the same sex)...some
of you will your travel, some of you will do public service, and some of you will have children (Which for me, is the hardest and most rewarding thing I have done.) All in all, it is a wonderful, and beatiful world. But what
makes it more wonderful, is the energy that you bring to it. And knowing many of you, I am excited for what you bring to our world.

Still, the legend of John Henry is about steel drivin. Or for me, about injecting passion into his purpose. You know...I get excited sometimes. I see something that hasn't been done before and needs to be done, or
something that can be done better, or something that can make things easier for people. You will see this things too. People with your talents will see the steam engines coming from miles away. You will see an opportunity to make something happen. It may be a program that makes your group better, or makes your company better, or makes the world better. It might be making a sale that brings value to your company and your customers and even to your the community. It might be building an organization that really nice for the pople in it and serves its purpose well. If you see such things, if you see such steam engines, challenge them. Pursue the challenge with a passion, stay up all night, don't shower (....well..ok, you can shower,
in fact, please do).. but do what it takes to meet the challenge.

And sometimes, sometimes, you will make it real...and that will be cool. People will say look, look at what she did! That's so neat. It will be a glorious thing.

Finally, sometimes talented people such as you need a reminder that you aren't all that. John Henry hammered the spike better than all takers. But Little Bull or Polly Ann held the spike. With every strike, they would lift the spike, shake it, turn it, and replace it, all before John Henry's hammer came down again. For you too, there will always be people around you. They may not appear to be as important or as talented as you, but pay attention. Take the time to understand what they do, what they want, even their hopes and dreams. The more you consider people around you the more you will respect their integrity, and their passion. That will make you feel good. And if you are lucky, you may even be able to help them acheive their hopes and dreams. And that will make you feel great.

Oh, yes, what happened to John Henry?

He raced the steam engine. When time was called, they brought out the tape measure, 12 feet for John Henry, 9 feet for the steam engine. He didn't just beat the steam engine, he crushed the steam engine. A glorious result. Of course, right after the race, John Henry died. He died with his hammer in his hand. Even I can't see the lesson there. But you know..it is not a sad tale. It is an inspiration. A model to live up to.

Finally, you aren't going to be the women and men with the hammer in their hand. You are the chosen ones. You will be building the steam engines. Hey, you guys even won the BIG game against those ..those who would not be named..

The world has become a place that you, with your talents and skills, can change. No one can stop you, if that is what you want. And do it, by all means, do it with the passion that you are lled with. Still, just pause for a
moment, and maybe even grieve for the old world, while you create the new world.

Congratulations, and good luck.

Movies this Sem

2010-05-04T14:53:00.002+05:30

Movies and TV Series have been an integral part of my IIT life. In last 3 years, I have watched more than 400 Hindi Movies and 150 Other Languages Movies (Telugu, Tamil, English, French, etc). Apart from being with 3-4 close friends, I enjoy spending time watching movies/TV series the most. Saw Friends, 24, Seinfeld, 2.5 Men, HIMYM, Hustle, BBT, Tales Pin, Duck Tales, Hannah Montana, Roadies with 100% loyalty and dedication.

Just did some math to find that I have devoted approximately 2700 hours to movies/tv series now. That means, on an average I spend approximately 2.5 hours per day watching movies/tv series. :P

Movies This Sem:

Aamrass
Ajab Prem ki gajab kahani
Morning Walk
London Dreams
All the Best
Rocket Singh
2012
Twilight
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi
3 idiots (twice)
Mirchi Its Hot
De Dana Dan
Akele Hum Akele Tum
Julie
Pulp Fiction
Raat gayi baat gayi
Saving Private Ryan
Pyaar Impossible
Do Knot Disturb
Aao wish karein
Ishqiya
Money as Debt 2006
Good Will Hunting
Beautiful Mind
Amar Akbar Anthony
Zanjeer
New York, I Love You
India Untouched
Sneakers
Up in the Air
Rann
My Name is Khan
Hitler: The Rise of Evil
Indecent Proposal
Lost temples of India
Striker
Mein aur Mrs Khanna
15 Park Avenue
Dil Maange More
Bhoot
Chance pe Dance
Click
Paathshaala
Chandni Bar
Lage Raho Munna Bhai

TV Series This Sem:
Seinfeld All seasons
Hustle 6 seasons
BBT 2 seasons
24, 2.5 men, himym on track

The Purpose of Life

2010-05-03T13:37:00.001+05:30

This is my last post from IIT as a student.

We are graduating from the best engineering institute of the world. We are seen as among the smartest of the country. Since we are graduating now, I hope this post will help you mull over some of the basic questions which I have been thinking about for these 4 years.

As an individual, we have our own problems and will have some throughout our lives (supporting family, paying off loans, getting a job, securing your job, fighting recession, divorce, death, market crash, business loss, health, health of near ones, etc). I agree that we have to take care of these problems first. But look at the bigger picture. Think of a person seeing us from an outside world. Did we meet the expectations of the world? Did we do what we expect out of us? By fulfilling expectations, I don't mean earning 100,000$ a year at the age of 22. I mean doing something "meaningful". Doing something that would be useful for the country/world/human race.. Leaving a legacy behind.. Leaving footsteps that the world would follow.. Providing a new way to live/think/believe.. Doing something original.. Something unique.. After 25 years when we will meet at the alumni day, we will definitely ask these questions to ourselves. The question is not that whether the world/IIT/country believes you gave something back.. The question is whether we believe that we were able to contribute something to the society. Lets work towards that goal. Lets help each other to reach that goal. With the help of senior batches passing out in 2007, 2008, 2009 and juniors who will graduate in 2011, 2012, 2013, I am sure that if we work with a dedicated soul, we can change the world around us.

Best of Luck!!
Cheers!!

For the last time ever:
--
Pratik Poddar
Senior Undergraduate
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, INDIA

Beauty in Computer Science

2010-04-24T22:22:00.002+05:30

4 years back when I was chosing which IIT to go to, which department to choose, I had no idea what computer science is.

Primary reasons to join Computer Science:
1) I like Maths. CS is more mathematical.
2) Hacking
3) Gaming
4) Scope of Research :P
5) How Windows work? How can I make Microsoft Excel?
Looking back. All the above reasons were "wrong". Yes CS is great. Its because of the great professors and some really really smart people it has got.

Computers are amazing. I used to think how does it store information? Isn't it amazing that memory is nothing but a flip-flop. I used to ask myself what is windows? What is it exactly? Now I get it. How beautiful is the idea that windows is just allowing the other processes to happen smoothly. Its just helping our computer. How can someone learn so many things in 4 years? If you don't understand one course, you will not understand computers and so failure!! But everything in computer science is abstraction. This is a great idea. I see something more than computer science in this idea. If we see one problem at a time and keep the other problems/events as a blackbox as we do in a computer science course, wouldn't life be great?

One problem that I have been obsessed with since last 4 years is finding patterns. I try to see patterns in all numbers. I try to put things in a function so that it can be represented in a crisp and artistic way. When I was first told in my first year that its not done in case of prime numbers, I spent nights and days writing prime numbers and calculating each next prime by hand trying to see some patterns. I still believe infinite information can be stored in finite space. The probability courses that I have done this semester make me happy when I see that infinite information made approximate can be stored in a finite space.

Other problems that I have been interested are primality testing and factorization. The beauty of the problem is that even 4 years back, I could explain the problem in 5 minutes to my sister 4 years younger to me (So, 13 years old then). So simple is the problem description that I feel somehow its a challenge by the god to mankind. Its perhaps the simplest unsolved problem. People have been trying to solve it since 1000s of years. And so the thrill and excitement when you attempt to solve these problems.

The idea of Red-Black Trees, Circular Stacks, Strassen's Algorithm, FFT, Union-Find Data Structure, Chudnovsky and Chudnovsky Algorithm, has brought and will bring smiles to many faces. It feels awesome to be in the time when we have developed beautiful solutions to difficult problems.

Of course, my topic is cryptography (Tujhme Rab Dikhta Hai Yaara main kya karoon?). The reason is that it merges so well with number theory, calculus, probability and combinatorics that learning cryptography would imply learning all the above topics. I am lucky to have been introduced to this topic in my first year itself and due to constant encouragement by Prof. Kapil Paranjape (IMSc Chennai), Prof. Ajit Diwan (IITB), Prof. Bernard Menezes (IITB), Prof. Angela Yingjun Zhang (CUHK), Prof. Bruno Salvy (INRIA Rocq), Prof. Frederic Chyzak (INRIA Rocq), my interest in the topic has always grown.

Thank You Computer Science. Thank You Mathematics. I had a great time.

P.S. I hate OS, POPL, Databases, Architecture, Engineering Drawing, Mechanical Workshop, Chemistry :P

50 Things to do in your College Life

2010-03-25T15:10:00.002+05:30

Blog post written my Ben Jones, from the MIT Admissions Office, in 2006. (Original Link)

As you begin your college experience, and I prepare for my 10-year college reunion, I thought I’d leave you with the things that, in retrospect, I think are important as you navigate the next four years. I hope that some of them are helpful.
Here goes…

Your friends will change a lot over the next four years. Let them.
Call someone you love back home a few times a week, even if just for a few minutes.
In college more than ever before, songs will attach themselves to memories. Every month or two, make a mix cd, mp3 folder, whatever – just make sure you keep copies of these songs. Ten years out, they’ll be as effective as a journal in taking you back to your favorite moments.
Take naps in the middle of the afternoon with reckless abandon.
Adjust your schedule around when you are most productive and creative. If you’re nocturnal and do your best work late at night, embrace that. It may be the only time in your life when you can.
If you write your best papers the night before they are due, don’t let people tell you that you “should be more organized” or that you “should plan better.” Different things work for different people. Personally, I worked best under pressure – so I always procrastinated… and always kicked ass (which annoyed my friends to no end). Use the freedom that comes with not having grades first semester to experiment and see what works best for you.
At least a few times in your college career, do something fun and irresponsible when you should be studying. The night before my freshman year psych final, my roommate somehow scored front row seats to the Indigo Girls at a venue 2 hours away. I didn’t do so well on the final, but I haven’t thought about psych since 1993. I’ve thought about the experience of going to that show (with the guy who is now my son’s godfather) at least once a month ever since.
Become friends with your favorite professors. Recognize that they can learn from you too – in fact, that’s part of the reason they chose to be professors.
Carve out an hour every single day to be alone. (Sleeping doesn’t count.)
Go on dates. Don’t feel like every date has to turn into a relationship.
Don’t date someone your roommate has been in a relationship with.
When your friends’ parents visit, include them. You’ll get free food, etc., and you’ll help them to feel like they’re cool, hangin’ with the hip college kids.
In the first month of college, send a hand-written letter to someone who made college possible for you and describe your adventures thus far. It will mean a lot to him/her now, and it will mean a lot to you in ten years when he/she shows it to you.
Embrace the differences between you and your classmates. Always be asking yourself, “what can I learn from this person?” More of your education will come from this than from any classroom.
All-nighters are entirely overrated.
For those of you who have come to college in a long-distance relationship with someone from high school: despite what many will tell you, it can work. The key is to not let your relationship interfere with your college experience. If you don’t want to date anyone else, that’s totally fine! What’s not fine, however, is missing out on a lot of defining experiences because you’re on the phone with your boyfriend/girlfriend for three hours every day.
Working things out between friends is best done in person, not over email. (IM does not count as “in person.”) Often someone’s facial expressions will tell you more than his/her words.
Take risks.
Don’t be afraid of (or excited by) the co-ed bathrooms. The thrill is over in about 2 seconds.
Wednesday is the middle of the week; therefore on wednesday night the week is more than half over. You should celebrate accordingly. (It makes thursday and friday a lot more fun.)
Welcome failure into your lives. It’s how we grow. What matters is not that you failed, but that you recovered.
Take some classes that have nothing to do with your major(s), purely for the fun of it.
It’s important to think about the future, but it’s more important to be present in the now. You won’t get the most out of college if you think of it as a stepping stone.
When you’re living on a college campus with 400 things going on every second of every day, watching TV is pretty much a waste of your time and a waste of your parents’ money. If you’re going to watch, watch with friends so at least you can call it a “valuable social experience.”
Don’t be afraid to fall in love. When it happens, don’t take it for granted. Celebrate it, but don’t let it define your college experience.
Much of the time you once had for pleasure reading is going to disappear. Keep a list of the books you would have read had you had the time, so that you can start reading them when you graduate.
Things that seem like the end of the world really do become funny with a little time and distance. Knowing this, forget the embarrassment and skip to the good part.
Every once in awhile, there will come an especially powerful moment when you can actually feel that an experience has changed who you are. Embrace these, even if they are painful.
No matter what your political or religious beliefs, be open-minded. You’re going to be challenged over the next four years in ways you can’t imagine, across all fronts. You can’t learn if you’re closed off.
If you need to get a job, find something that you actually enjoy. Just because it’s work doesn’t mean it has to suck.
Don’t always lead. It’s good to follow sometimes.
Take a lot of pictures. One of my major regrets in life is that I didn’t take more pictures in college. My excuse was the cost of film and processing. Digital cameras are cheap and you have plenty of hard drive space, so you have no excuse.
Your health and safety are more important than anything.
Ask for help. Often.
Half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at any given moment. Way more than half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at some point in the next four years. Get used to it.
In ten years very few of you will look as good as you do right now, so secretly revel in how hot you are before it’s too late.
In the long run, where you go to college doesn’t matter as much as what you do with the opportunities you’re given there. The MIT name on your resume won’t mean much if that’s the only thing on your resume. As a student here, you will have access to a variety of unique opportunities that no one else will ever have – don’t waste them.
On the flip side, don’t try to do everything. Balance = well-being.
Make perspective a priority. If you’re too close to something to have good perspective, rely on your friends to help you.
Eat badly sometimes. It’s the last time in your life when you can do this without feeling guilty about it.
Make a complete ass of yourself at least once, preferably more. It builds character.
Wash your sheets more than once a year. Trust me on this one.
If you are in a relationship and none of your friends want to hang out with you and your significant other, pay attention. They usually know better than you do.
Don’t be afraid of the weird pizza topping combinations that your new friend from across the country loves. Some of the truly awful ones actually taste pretty good. Expand your horizons.
Explore the campus thoroughly. Don’t get caught.
Life is too short to stick with a course of study that you’re no longer excited about. Switch, even if it complicates things.
Tattoos are permanent. Be very certain.
Don’t make fun of prefrosh. That was you like 2 hours ago.
Enjoy every second of the next four years. It is impossible to describe how quickly they pass.
This is the only time in your lives when your only real responsibility is to learn. Try to remember how lucky you are every day.

Be yourself. Create. Inspire, and be inspired. Grow. Laugh. Learn. Love.
Welcome to some of the best years of your lives.

What can I do for the country?

2010-03-13T23:07:00.008+05:30

I have thought over this problem for hours and days. I am no big shot. I am no political leader. I understand that I am in no position to bring a big change. So, the answer is that all of us should change to make India a developed country. Fair enough. I reached this conclusion 3 years back. Now what? How can I contribute in my way? Any suggestions? I talked to many smart(er) people. Got some answers. But not complete. I think its still unanswered but most of my doubts are gone by the book "Ignited Minds" by APJ Abdul Kalam.

This is not a review of the book. I am in no position to do that. This is just a compilation of the points I thought, points that came up in the discussions I had with a few seniors, discussion I had with my internship professor in Hong Kong, my lab mates during my internship at Paris and also the ideas from Ignited Minds. An attempt to answer the question on "How can people like me (young and educated) contribute to India's development?"

(Order is not important)

Say NO to corruption
Pay taxes regularly and honestly
Don't practice social evils like untouchability, dowry, female foeticide, etc
Keep our country clean
Stop whining about everything Indian. Respect India, its culture, its people. If we need to make small talk, we start talking about how bad it is, how bad our government is, etc in buses, trains and other public places. If you have a solution, suggest it. Just whining that India is bad in public places have led to this situation that we don't really respect our country
Don't blindly respect everything foreign. Don't buy foreign goods just because its foreign
Don't fight over religion, caste, place of birth, language, etc. Believe in unity of the country.
Vote honestly without any bias

Best of Luck!!

Finance for IITians

2010-02-22T13:44:00.000+05:30

Question to answer: Why do lots of IITians move towards finance?

1) Money: Finance companies pay way more than other companies. The average pay of a finance company is 1.5-2 times that of an average CS tech firm and 2-2.5 times an average non-CS tech firm. This probably is the single most important reason. More importantly the prospects of hefy bonuses which can surpass any salary in any industry. People flock to finance because of the riches/lores of traders/i-bankers who have earned a software engineer's lifetime salary in a few years.

2) No interest in Tech: Since most of us have the feeling that "acads to nahin hi hoga" or I am not born for tech, we have anyways narrowed down our choices to a few out of which most are financial services firms.

3) Analytical skills required: This is perhaps the only field where they require analytical skills but do not pay much importance to your CPI. Proving that you are smart is more important than getting a hi-fi CPI. :) The skills required are basic mathematics which all the engineers are good at. Students might find problems with partial differential equations and eigen values but not with basic statistics and probability.

4) Glamor attached: We have seen our MI CGs and Techfest managers and GSs going to financial services. Those were people whom we looked up to. We feel safe if we are walking on paths of those "studs". Investment Bankers hog a lot of limelight in the corporate world, rubbing shoulders with CEOs and giving media briefings. The pin striped suits, and luxury hotels and business class travel build an aura around the investment banker.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are personal and are not intended to hurt the feelings of any community. They do not refer to any legal entity, living or dead. I should not be held accountable for any brain drain from engineering to finance and vice-versa or any losses(sanity, monetary) incurred after reading this article.

What certifications can we get in finance field during our stay at IIT?

Now this is a tricky question. To find an answer, I contacted Pristine Careers (www.pristinecareers.com) - A finance training institute founded by Pawan, Paramdeep and Atul, alumni of IIT Bombay, Delhi and Kharagpur. They stressed the need for getting international certifications instead of domestic. The following certificates are internationally recognized and should give you an interview if not a job in finance.

CFA: http://www.cfainstitute.org/
FRM : http://www.garp.com/
PRM: http://www.prmia.com

Best of Luck!!

Study Tips for JEE

2010-02-18T14:27:00.001+05:30

I have been asked by many people about tips on JEE preparation. Thought writing this on the blog might help some aspirants. Best of Luck!! I gave this interview (Published interview) for an IIT Delhi Startup "Entrance Corner" www.entrancecorner.com

1.What was you rank?
IIT JEE 2006 - All India Rank 3
AIEEE 2006 - All India Rank 2

2.Which books did you follow during your preparations?

Physics:
1) NCERT
2) Concepts in Physics by H.C Verma (Two volumes)
3) Problems in General Physics by I.E. Irodov
4) University Physics by Freedman and Young or Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick and Walker
5) Aptitude Test Problems in Physics by S.S. Krotov

Chemistry:
1) NCERT
2) Numerical Chemistry by P. Bahadur or Numerical Chemistry by R.C. Mukherjee
3) Concise Inorganic Chemistry by J.D. Lee
4) Chemistry Principles & Applications by Sienko and Plane
5) Organic Chemistry by Solomons and Frhyle or Organic Chemistry by Morrison and Boyd

Mathematics:
1) NCERT
2) Higher Algebra by Hall and Knight
3) Problems in Mathematics by V Govorov, P.Dybov, N.Miroshin, S.Smirnova (Edited by A.I. Prilepko)
4) Trigonometry by S.L Loney
5) Coordinate Geometry by S.L. Loney
6) A Course in Mathematics for IIT-JEE by Tata Mc-Graw Hill

These books are more than sufficient. Of course, you have to read only those sections which are there in the syllabus.

Important:
A strict No No to the books by the following publishers: Dinesh, Pradeep, Krishna, Modern's, Arihant, Gupta and Gupta. These books are nothing more than waste of time. Never ever read these books. The material is crap.

3.Have you taken any coaching? Do you thing coaching make a major impact in cracking IIT?
I took classroom coaching from Bansal Classes, Kota. Although I don't deny that Bansal Classes had a huge impact on my preparation, but at the same time I don't think coaching is necessary for cracking JEE. Although these institutes publish sparkling results in newspapers but the truth is that the percentage of people getting selected is not very high. If you are in a city, I would recommend joining a good coaching class in the same city as far as possible considering the varied problems that arise in Kota due to absence of parental guidance.

4.Did you joined any test series ?
I took test series of Fiitjee, Delhi and Apex Academy, Mumbai.

5.How many hours did you study daily ?
Its not hours that count. Make sure that you feel fresh, energetic and positive when studying. Take a five minute walk or a half an hour sleep if thats not happening. Sleep well and Eat well. There is no point giving night outs and studying. Sleep well before the exam.

6.On which subject you give more stress and why ?
I liked Maths and Physics so performed well naturally. I found chemistry difficult. I saw that most of my batchmates got good marks in Maths and Physics. So, to score a better rank, I needed to be better in Chemistry as there is no saturation point. The more you read, the better you become.

7.Any advise to our readers? What tips you want to share with our readers ?
1) JEE is not the only time when you can prove yourself. So relax! Sleep well and eat well! Dont try anything special. Do whats most natural to you.
2) Dont waste time watching movies, going to parties and attending guests. Keeping yourself away from these pleasures for 2 yrs does more good than you would expect.
3) A strict No No to books by the following publishers: Dinesh, Pradeep, Krishna, Modern's, Arihant, Gupta and Gupta.

Targets set at IIT

2010-02-11T16:32:00.005+05:30

Targets Set at some point or the other at IIT :)

Target	Did or Not	Comments
CPI 9.00	No	Whatever.. Ditch :P
English	No	:(
Guitar	No	:(
Job	Yes	:)
Maths	Yes	:)
Dram	Yes	Did basic level. Ended it with an awesome PAF :)
Weight	Yes	Went to a terrible state.. But getting back now. Lost more than 7 kgs now. :)
TT	Yes	Can play at a very basic level and win against a beginner.
Blog	Yes	+80 followers and +120 posts on puzzle blog
Euro Trip	Yes	:)
Swimming	No	:(
Debating	No	:(
Novels	No	:(
Publication	Ongoing	I need luck!! :) Sent BTP work
Finance	Yes	Did a basic level reading this sem :)
Goa	Yes	27th Feb 2010 :)
GF	No	:(

Chatur's speech : 3 idiots

2010-01-17T20:04:00.003+05:30

Adarniya sabhapati mahodaya, atithi vishesh shikshan mantri shri R D tripati ji, maanyaniya shikshagan aur mere piyaaare sahpatiyo

Aaj agar I.C.E aasmaan ki bulaaandiyo ko chhu raahaa hai to uska shreya sirrf ekinsaan ko jaataahai - Shri Veeru Sahastrabuddhe

Give him a big hand. He is a great guy really.

Peechle buttis saal se inhone nirantar is college mein balatkar pe balatkar kiye. Umeed hai aagey bee karte rahege. Hamein to aashcharya hota hai ki ek insaan apne jeevan kaal mein itni balatkar kaisi kar sakta hai. Inhone kadi tapaasya se apne aapko is kaabil bunaya hai. Waqt ka sahi upyog ghante ka purna istemaal koi inse seeke. Seeke inse seeke. Aaj hum sab chaatra yaha hai, kal desh videsh mein fail jayenge. Waadaa hai aapse jis desh mein honge waha balatkar karenge, I.C.E ka naam roshan karenge. Dika denge sabko jo balatkar Karne ki kshamtaa yaha ke chaatro mein hai wo sansaar ke kisi chaatro mein nahiii. No other chaatra. No other chaatra.

Adarniya mantraji! Namashkar aapne is sansthaan ko wo chees di jiski hamein sakht zaroorat thi. “Sstunn”! Stunn hota sabi ke paas hai. Sab chupa ke rakte hai, detaa koi nai. Aapne apna stun is balatkari purush ke haat mein diya hai, ab dekiye yeh kaisa iska upyog karta hai

Utthamum dadhdadaath paadam - Madhyam paadam thuchuk chuk - Ghanisthah thud thudi paadam - Surr surri praan gatakam.

More Dilbert and IIT

2010-01-02T01:25:00.000+05:30

First 7 comic strips posted earlier here

8)

Movies this Sem

2009-12-27T17:37:00.004+05:30

This sem has been very very busy due to Placements, GRE, etc.. Still managed to see 50 odd movies and kept myself updated with 2.5men, himym, HM, etc. :)

Snakes on a Plane
Jashnn 2009
Parichay
Musafir 2005
Kambakht Ishq 2009
Boys Telugu
Aparichit 2005
Baazi
Dil Hai ki Manta Nahin
Kambakht Ishq
Hannah Montana
Black and White
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
ShortKut
Sankat City
Platoon 1986
Ghatak
Love Aajkal
Hungama 2003
Mann
Sehar 2005
Hyderabad Blues 1998
If Only
Sooraj Ka Saatva Ghoda
Sivaji
Shadow
Fox
Half Blood Prince
Baberr
Dashavataram
My Bloody Valentine
Sadak 1991
Yeh Mera India
Kalyug
Dil Bole Hadiappa
Terre Sang 2009
School of Rock
Superbad 2007
The Hangover
P.S. I Love You
Wake Up Sid
Wall E
Kaminey
Barah Aana
New York
Kurbaan
Pulp Fiction
Ratatouille
Before Sunrise
Amelie
American Pie Book of Love
Sikander
Badhai ho Badhai
21
Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi
3 Idiots
Paa
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Before Sunset

Counter: 59 movies

Thats 190 movies and 10s of seasons this year 2009 :)
Will surely get it to 200 by 31st :)

Continuous two years with more than 200 movies a year :)

Alas, I am sure this wud not continue next year :P

Qutab Minar 1857

2009-12-19T22:51:00.001+05:30

Clicked some photographs of Qutab Minar on my Delhi Visit (for IndoCrypt 2009) last week.

I have tried to click photographs as if they were clicked in olden days (say 1857 :P).
I took care of two things:
1) Used "Old Photos" mode in the camera to give that look
2) Took care that there are no people in the photograph. This is difficult on a Monday afternoon when many groups of school children visit Qutab Minar.

I think a few of them came out to be good. I would love your constructive feedback. This was my first serious photography attempt, so please bear with me :P

Slideshow: http://bit.ly/5Chy81
Picasa Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/pratik.phodu/IndoCrypt2009Delhi1857QutabMinar

Thank You!

Dilbert and IIT

2009-12-18T19:40:00.004+05:30

Dilbert (as usual) Craxx IIT Big Time :)

Thanks to Ajit Burad (CSE IITB alumnus) for the collection :)

Interesting Facts About India

2009-12-17T23:01:00.006+05:30

India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)
The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
Chess was invented in India.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
India is the largest democracy in the world, the 7th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.
The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.
The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.
The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world
(Source: Gemological Institute of America).
The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
India exports software to 90 countries.
The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.
Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.
There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.
Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively
The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.
The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.
Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.
Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

Source: www.india.gov.in

Update (18/12/09): Thanks to Abhishek Upadhyaya (IIT Delhi) for pointing out a mistake. India is the 7th largest country after Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brazil and Australia and not the 6th largest.

Weird things to do in Mumbai

2009-12-10T16:05:00.006+05:30

Edited version of the list compiled by Zishaan Hayath (IITB 2005 alumnus)

Get high on qawwali at Haji Ali
Spot a celebrity at Juhu PVR
Crane your neck to see the Bombay Stock Exchange building
Spot a leopard in IIT Bombay campus. If you can't, then spot a girl
Enjoy a play in Prithvi Theatre
Enjoy the NCPA in a play or opera
Haggle for non-antiques in Chor Bazaar
Face the high tide on Worli seaface
Bet money on race horses at the Royal Western India Turf Club, Mahalaxmi
Dangle your feet, lean back on your palms and enjoy the sea from the Marine Drive promenade
Go for a heritage walk in the Naval Dockyard (first Sunday every month, Indian nationals only)
Explore the Sanjay Gandhi national park. A national park in city limits? Oh yeah!
Soak in the Victoria Terminus
Watch DDLJ at Maratha Mandir
Party at Hard Rock Cafe and mourn for a minute the death of mills around Parel
Jog on Juhu beach
Sit on a tetropod at Nariman Point in midnight till police constables shoo you away
Stand still on flyover bridge at Dadar station and watch the crowd whiz by you
Ride the Victoria on Marine Drive
Discover the city's Jewish connection at Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue
Watch sunset over Aksa beach in Madh Island
Discover the underbelly of Bombay in Dharavi
Stay for a night at Taj Mahal Palace hotel. You definitely want to tick off this luxury address for the oh-I-stayed-there-for-a-while conversations, don't you?
Catch the national madness of cricket in Oval Maidan
Gaze at the Queen's Necklace from the Hanging Gardens at dusk
Hunt for antique furniture (real or fake?) in Oshiwara
Buy books from roadsides around Flora Fountain
Envy the private palaces of Malabar Hill
Party on a ferry in the Arabian Sea off Gateway of India
Take a break from the city. Vasai offers the ramparts of Bassein fort, ruins of Portugese churches and East Indian food
Trek in Sahayadris
Say hello to the fauna at Byculla zoo
Dare the red light district of Kamatipura
Bow your head before city's famous deities: Mumbadevi, Mahalaxmi, Walkeshwar, Siddhivinayak, Iskcon
Dine where Shahrukh Khans and Ness Wadias dine: Olive, Indigo
Feel the sufi mysticism at dargahs of Haji Ali and Maqdoom Ali Mahimi
Gape at famous residences: Shahrukh Khan's Mannat, Amitabh Bachhan's Jalsa
Explore the Powai and Vihar lakes
Visit the museums: Prince of Wales, Monetary, Modern Art, Mani Bhavan
Admire the British era architecture in Fort: Churchgate station, Western Railway headquarters, High Court, General Post Office, Telegraph Office, Police Headquarters
Learn about the rock-cut architecture: Elephanta, Kanheri, Mahakali and Karla caves
Explore the churches: Gloria Church, Byculla, Portugese; Mt Mary Church, Bandra W, Portugese, 1640; St Michaels Church, Mahim, 1565, rebuilt 1973; St Thomas Cathedral, Flora Fountain, 1718; Wodehouse Church, Colaba, 20th century; Afghan Church, Navy Nagar, Colaba, 1858; Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar W, Portugese, 19th century; St John Baptist, Seepz, 1579; St Peter's Church, Bandra, 1852, rebuilt 1938; St Andrew's Church, Bandra, Portugese, 1575
Check out an art exhibition: Jehangir Art Gallery, Fort; Tao Art Gallery, Worli; Piramal Art Gallery, Nariman Point
Buy a vintage bollywood poster in Mini Market or Lamington Road
Getaway to the beaches around Bombay: Alibag, Kashid, Murud, Nagaon
Travel to places overnight: Goa, Ajanta Ellora, Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Khandala and Lonavala
Discover the charm of marble tabletops, bentwood chairs and irani chai at Parsi cafes
Catch behind the scenes action at a Bollywood studio
Ride a vintage lift in a 100 year old building
Travel in a local train. How about the Virar Fast?
Ride a double decker bus. Isn't Bombay the only city where they still run them?
If you have made it to a penthouse in Bombay, you might as well enjoy the view
Drink cutting chai, eat vada pav
Gorge on late night sandwiches in Juhu
Sip some wine at an expensive seaside restaurant: Vie Lounge, Juhu; Dome, Intercontinental, Marine Drive; Aurus, Juhu; Salt Water Grill, Girgaum Chaupaati; Bayview Bar, Nariman Point
Figure what all the fuss is about having a beer in Mondegar or Leopold
Jack you car bonnet using a cold-drink bottle and eat kababs at Bade Miyan in Taj's back alley
Eat at Amar Dhaba
Walk the nostalgic streets of Kotachiwadi and pay a tribute to Anant Ashram - once the mecca of fine and authentic East Indian cuisine
Smoke a hookah at roof-top restaurant Koyla in the Arab quarters of Colaba
Indulge yourself with fruity flavors of Naturals ice cream. And if it's summer, try a cup of alfonso mangoes with malai ice cream
Learn out the art of ordering tea in a streetside cafe. "Ek paani kum dena."
Drink Kingfisher, Cobra or Zingaro in your neighborhood look-alike bar of Nightlovers
Try the green chilli ice cream at Bachelorrs
Swing to some live music as you enjoy your continental meal at Not Just Jazz By The Bay. Do pay attention to the witty hoarding outside as you leave the place
Run the Bombay Marathon (Jan)
Enjoy the Kala Ghoda arts festival (Feb)
Cheer 'Mumbai Indians' in an IPL cricket match at Wankhede statdium (May-Jun)
Get drenched to the bone while biking in the monsoons (Jul-Sep)
Sing "Govinda aala re aala" as 40 feet high human pyramids take the prized matka (Aug-Sep)
Get lost in the crowds of Ganesh Chaturthi (Sep)
Watch thousands of pink flamingos in the mangroves at Sewri (Nov-May)
Eat nihari, kababs and sweetmeats around Masjid on the eve of Eid (Ramzan)
Run a 'free hug' campaign. This is Bombay, meri jaan!

The Art of Managing Fame

2009-10-29T21:37:00.000+05:30

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/extraordinaryissue/entry/the-art-of-managing-fame

Interesting article... Sees inefficiency, bureaucracy, nepotism from a positive side.. Managing fame.. Also, interesting comments made below...

One says:

Yes, Mr Obama was surprised on the announcement of Nobel Peace Prize 2009. He felt humbled, not embarrassed. It appears he was awarded for his forward thinking aspirations, expectations of achievements.

and other says

This is quite a damning and hard hitting article on the Peace Nobel to Obama, and understandably so. After all, the world is so much at a loss of words to justify the honour!

The article is refreshing in the sense that it goes beyond mere criticism of the award, and looks at the motives (or machinations) behind it. Quite conspicuously, there are hints of the award having been packaged, fixed or managed, probably without the consent or knowledge of Obama, to enhance his fame.

It is sad that such controversial choices by the Nobel Peace Prize committee will only lower the esteem of the award in the eyes of the people, as is clear from the article.

Indian Parents Cliches

2009-10-27T12:49:00.001+05:30

1)
Father: money doesn't grow on trees
Son: But if you grow mangoes and sell them?

2)
Mother: u will understand only when ur a mother and have a daughter like u
Daughter: Ya right!! Heard of twin sisters.. here comes this twin pair(mother-daughter).. :P

3)
Father: have'nt you seen your cousin or neighbour's child? ...how well beahaved they are.
Son: Then go and adopt him!!

4)
Father: See how XYZ scores good marks!
Son: u can say see how that uncle makes so much money!

5)
Father: When we were at your age, this isn't what we did
Son: Ya I know!! You didn't have TV then and you didn't wear full pants till your 10th class! Thanx for the pant btw. :P

6)
Father: When Rajendra Prasad was of your age he went to school swimming across a river.
Son: Dude, when he was of your age, he was the president of India!!

7) Shaddi kar le iss TV se..waise bhi toh din raat issi se chipka rehta hai !

8) Ise Boarding school bhejenge tab hi sudherega ..........

9) Hum tumhaare Maa-Baap hai hum tumhaara bhala hi chaahenge ...koi parent apne baccho ka bura nahi chaahta ...

10) We never dared to open our mouth in front of our parents.. and you are so disrespectful towards us :P

11) Someday,,u will remember these words and that day, u will know my importance.

12) ye koi khana hai ... pizza burger ... isse pet thode bharega
:D :D

Talent Driven Country - Article by Chetan Bhagat

2009-10-24T23:22:00.001+05:30

Nice article by Chetan Bhagat in TOI
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Wheres-My-Nobel-Prize/articleshow/5153978.cms

I wonder why I like reading blogs and articles by IITians so much.. :P

Indeed the article is one of the most profound articles I have read in recent times.. I have always felt the same way..

Putting it in simpler words, is he not saying that we should have no nepotism/cronyism in the country... (New words learnt for GRE!! :D)

In all, if corruption in this form is eliminated from the spheres like sports, R&D, management, e.t.c. where talent is really more important, India would become a talent-driven country and this would go a long way in making India a world power... Interesting idea!!

The writer (Chetan Bhagat) is a best selling novelist.

My Celebrity Look Alikes

2009-10-24T09:01:00.002+05:30

Interesting site:
Results are pretty interesting and sort of true..

IITs and Institutionalised Insanity

2009-10-23T00:26:00.000+05:30

Great article here by Atanu Dey

A few excerpts:

There is a "joint entrance exam", or JEE, to get admission into an IIT and an estimated 400,000 students appear for it. That means about two out of every 100 who apply get into an IIT. To a first approximation, as economists put it, nobody gets into IITs.

Getting into an IIT is serious business. The insane level of competition to get into an IIT infects not just the students but also their families. Preparations start years before, often when the student is in the 8th grade - a full four years of slogging.

There is a mad rush to get into the better JEE coaching classes. Let's call them A-level coaching institutes. A-level institutes have to conduct their own entrance exams not only because their capacity is limited but also to select the best among the students. So there are coaching institutes - let's call them B-level - whose business is to coach students to pass the A-level institutes' entrance exams. I suppose with time there will be C-level coaching classes that prepare the students for passing the entrance exams to the B-level coaching services that prepare students for the A-level coaching institutes that prepare the students for appearing in the JEE so that they can enroll in an IIT.

Institutionalized insanity is a weak phrase when applied to the Indian education system. It is surely a marvel to behold. It makes you wonder how it has come to such a pass and why. Let's do that in a bit.

My comments:
Reason for this situation is that education system in India is determined by the economy. Unlike in US, you have "ample" jobs in all fields, people can afford to pursue their interests. But in India, most people do what gives maximum money. So, lets become doctors/engineers/CAs. Who else other than an IITian gets 20 lakh ruppees per annum in India at the age of 22. (For people not in IIT, i emphasize again. Some indeed get this. This is not an exaggeration). So, every parent wants his child to go to IIT and so the mad race. This has got in our society so well, that everyone, even people of affluent families join the race to go to IIT.

As far as coaching institutes are concerned, there is no reason to cry against them. Its an industry which is thriving because it has customers. Although the downside is that because X people are joining coaching institutes, I will have to join so that I don't lag behind in the race. So, the industry did not have demand but has created a demand. It was never a solution to a problem but after it came, it created the problem and so a demand. It is now trying to solve that problem, to fulfil that demand. Economists might consider coaching institutes a perfect example for such industries.

GRE Effect

2009-10-22T20:54:00.000+05:30

I have to take GRE on 26th..
My vocabulary was definitely "poor".. I never paid attention to improve my word power.. The effect being I had to work significantly harder than most people around me.. I have not read Word Lists.. I have only read Word Power Made Easy (By Normal Lewis), including the word-list given in the end. I have started practising from Power Prep, hoping to complete all practice tests and all practice questions given. Given that I have not studied much, I am not expecting a great result (1300 I think is good enough for me). But preparing for GRE has provided the following to me:

1) If not of the level of GRE or if not of the level of the "magniloquent" people, I have definitely improved my vocab to a normal acceptable level.
2) It might help me in CAT. I practised a few CAT questions with my sister. I think the preparation is helping.
3) I have developed an interest for languages. I am now able to relate Sanskrit, English, Latin, German, Hindi.
4) Hopefully, I will continue in this spirit and learn more words in the future. Now I want to read some good books/novels.

I wrote all this today so that after 26th, I could read this and be happy. :) Also to express the precept that I have lived by till now. Taking exams is always good. You get to measure your strength and a chance to learn something in whatever preparation you do for it.

I am happy!!

Lets play a game called Demographia

2009-10-05T17:19:00.005+05:30

Answer the following questions and then match the answer. You will be surprised to know how less we know about India or Mumbai:

Lets start with a simple one.

1) Population of the country in 2009?
2) Population in 1961?
3) Rate of increase?
4) Percentage of Hindu population in India?
5) Population of Mumbai in 2009?
6) GDP of India?
7) GDP growth?
8) GDP per capita?
9) Inflation?
10) Population below poverty line?
11) Unemployment?

Answers:
1) 116 crores
2) 40 crores
3) 1.58%
4) 80%
5) 1.2 crores
6) $1.209 trillion
7) 6.7%
8) $1016
9) 7.8%
10) 22%
11) 6.8%

Did any one of you get it even 80% correct?

Update: (19/11/2009)
In fact, I was doing this for case interview practice. I read these wiki pages to learn some basic facts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai_Suburban_Railway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Railways

Enjoy!!!

My Love

2009-09-12T23:56:00.001+05:30

Copy pasted from a blog but totally worth it...
--

A Mother passing by her son’s bedroom was astonished to see that
his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up.

Then she saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow
that was addressed to ‘Mom’ With the worst premonition she opened the envelope
with hands and read the letter.

Dear Mom:

It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you. I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it’s not only the passion… Mom she’s pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.

Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn’t really hurt anyone. We’ll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She deserves it. Don’t worry Mom. I’m 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I’m sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love,
Your Son Paul

P.S. Mom, none of the above is true. I’m over at Dustin’s house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the report card that’s in my center desk drawer.
I love you. Call me when it’s safe to come home.

Social Networking Profiles

2009-08-20T15:18:00.024+05:30

Here is a list of social networking profiles I have:

Websites:

http://pratikpoddar.wordpress.com
http://www.cse.iitb.ac.in/~pratik

Blogger Profile:
http://www.blogger.com/profile/11577606981573330954

Blogs:
http://pratikpoddar.blogspot.com/
http://pratikpoddarcse.blogspot.com/

Orkut:
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Profile.aspx?uid=11806987233895192329

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pratik.poddar

Picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/pratik.phodu

Google Profile:
http://www.google.com/profiles/pratik.phodu

Google Reader:
http://www.google.com/reader/shared/pratik.phodu

Froogle Wishlist:
http://froogle.google.com/shoppinglist?id=2953912892882476472

Amazon Wishlist:
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/1H1YX29JDIEOT/

GeckoGo! Traveller's Profile:
http://www.geckogo.com/profile/pratikpoddar

Slideshare:
http://www.slideshare.net/pratikpoddar05051989

Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/pratikpoddar

Project Euler Profile Page:
http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=profile&profile=pratikpoddar (visible only to registered logged-in users)

Mozilla Developer Page:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/user/3629528

Userscripts Developer Page:
http://userscripts.org/users/76928

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/pratikpoddar

Twitpic:
http://twitpic.com/photos/pratikpoddar

Identi.ca:
http://identi.ca/pratikpoddar/

You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pratikphodu

Younoodle:
http://younoodle.com/people/pratik_poddar

Math Overflow Page
http://mathoverflow.net/users/887/pratik-poddar

Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pratikpoddar/

Stumble Upon:
http://pratikpoddar.stumbleupon.com/

Digg:
http://digg.com/users/pratikpoddar

Delicious:
http://delicious.com/pratikpoddar

Technorati:
http://technorati.com/people/pratikpoddar

Disqus:
http://disqus.com/pratikpoddar

Backtype:
http://www.backtype.com/pratikpoddar

Yahoo Profile:
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/43D5B5W6LV5EWHDXHQMQ54CFLE

FriendFeed:
http://friendfeed.com/pratikpoddar

---

Do you think I have missed anything? Please help me by writing a comment!!

Jinhe Naaz Hai... Happy Independence Day...

2009-08-15T14:23:00.002+05:30

Personal Favourite.... Jai Hind.. Happy Independence Day...

Bilqis: Jinhe naaz hai hind par
-RABBI

Mera naam Bilqis Yakub Rasool
Mujhse hui bas ek hi bhool
Ki jab dhhundhhte thhe vo Ram ko
To maen khadi thhi, rah mein

Pehle ek ne puchha na mujhe kuchh pata thha
Dujey ko bhi mera yehi javab thha
Fir itno ne puchha ki mera ab saval hai ki

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

Mera naam Shriman Satyendra Dubey
Jo kehna thha vo keh chukey
Ab padhey hain rah mein
Dil mein liye ek goli

Bas itna kasoor ki hamne likha thaa
Vo sach jo har kisi ki zuban thaa
Par sach yahan ho jatey hain zehreelay

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

Mujhe kehte hain anna Manjunath
Maine dekhi bhatakti ek laash
Zamir ki beech sarhak Lakhimpur Kherhi

Adarsh phasa jahan naaron mein
Aur chor bharey darbaron mein
Vahan maut akhlaq ki hai ik khabar baasi

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

Mazha nau aahe Navleen Kumar
Unnees june unnees bar
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees baar

Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees baar

Looto dehaat kholo bazaar
Nallasopara aur Virar
Chheeno zameen hamse humhe
Bhejo pataal

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

The 1st martyr Rabbi tells about is Bilqis Bano.
Bilkis Bano is one of the victims of the riots which followed the Godhra train massacre. On March 3 (or February 28), 2002, she was gangraped in Dahod district of Gujarat when she was pregnant. She also lost 14 relatives including her 3-year-old child, mother and 2 sisters. She is the sole witness to this incident. The case was handled by the CBI, and was transferred to Mumbai court on the orders of the Supreme Court. 20 people have been accused in the case.

Then Rabbi speaks of Satyendra Dubey.
Satyendra Kumar Dubey (1973 – 2003) was project director at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). He was assassinated in Gaya, Bihar for fighting corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral highway construction project.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyendra_Dubey

Then,
Shanmugam Manjunath (1978 Kolar-2005) was a marketing manager for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) who was murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol station in UP. Who later became a rallying cry for IIM, IIT and other institutes students. While working for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in Lucknow, he had ordered two petrol pumps at Lakhimpur Kheri sealed for selling adulterated fuel for three months. When the pump started operating again a month later, Manjunath decided to conduct a surprise raid around November 19, 2005.

Having not heard from his son for three days, at around 9 that night, his father, M Shanmughan, had sent an SMS: “How are you?”. There was no reply because that very night, during his inspection, Manjunath had been shot dead. His body, riddled with at least six bullets, was found in the backseat of his own car, which was being driven by two employees of the petrol pump. Both were arrested and the main accused, pump-owner Pawan Kumar (’Monu’) Mittal, was held on November 23 along with seven others.

And the 4th,
Ms. Navleen Kumar, who worked for the land rights of adivasis/tribals in Nallasopara, outskirts of Mumbai was stabbed to death on the terrace of her flat. She had been fighting against “builders and land mafia” who had been usurping tribal land by terror, force and fraud over the last 20-25 years, to restore the land rights to the tribals – the original owners. On the 19th of June 2002, she was stabbed 19 times.

How Maoo Lost his Love

2009-08-13T23:03:00.007+05:30

In case you dont know him, we are talking about Maoo (Anirudh Shekhawat) Roll No. 06005012, 4th year, CSE, IITB.

Maoo, Anirudh Shekhawat (Id: SkywalkerGuy) had a girlfriend Emily (Id: Emily2781), Probably born on 27th of some month in 1981 (a bit too old for maoo!!). Everything was going great. They were having a wonderful time together. Just then the following happened. I got a screenshot of maoo's screen and here is what I saw.

:)

How I Lost her!!

2009-08-09T21:00:00.001+05:30

Hillarious!

Maoo ka dance

2009-08-07T18:14:00.003+05:30

IIT Bombay Student Dancing...

Anirudh Shekhawat (06005012), AIR 31 JEE 2006, CSE Senior Undergrad, IITB

being "ragged" in 3rd year...

Love u maoo...

Pratik in Urdu

2009-08-06T23:01:00.005+05:30

Thanx to Sharjeel, I know how to write my name in Urdu.

پرتیک

We Indians....

2009-08-06T12:42:00.003+05:30

So true...

Eiffel Tower: Made in India

2009-08-04T12:48:00.002+05:30

Still enjoying the Bastille Day Fireworks memory, I present Eiffel Tower with "Made in India" tag :)

Masakali Masakali

2009-08-03T11:57:00.001+05:30

Took this pic in Etretat (North-West France)

A Classic Shot

2009-08-02T13:05:00.003+05:30

It was bright sunny weekend in Bruges and once you see this, you got to stop and take a pic. After 5 tries, I got it right and worth publishing it on blog.

Comments welcome....

Big Time Photoshop Fan, I am

2009-08-02T08:00:00.003+05:30

I made a few wallpapers earlier this year. Thought it would cool to upload it somewhere.

You can have a look at some of them.

A old "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" type poster. Making the main background paper, giving it the feel of being old, dusty and dirty was real fun.

Same wallpaper with Achin on it. :)

My attempt to write "PRATIK".. DevD style.. Failed Terribly... But there is always a next chance to improve... Keep seeing next posts for newer versions...

My first wallpaper ever... Made by PFA actually... start maine kiya tha... par ki fark painda hai.. :)

More awesome Eurotrip theme wallpapers are in the making. Watch this space for more wallpapers and photoshop"ed" images.

New things this summer

2009-07-10T15:29:00.002+05:30

To keep it as small as possible:

a) Eurotrip
b) Started drinking
c) Attended my first conference ever
d) 3 firefox addons accepted
e) Good work done at the internship: Possible Inria research report and a possible paper at ISSAC
f) Smoked for the first time
g) Spent the most amazing time in my 20 yr a few days life lived till that moment.... the bastille day celebration

Movies and TV Series this summer

2009-07-10T15:26:00.002+05:30

In India:

Malena
Hindustani
Dev D
Raat 1992
Saajan
Golmaal 1979

In Paris:

Click
The Express
Catch Me If You Can
She's All That
Good Luck Chuck
Meet The Parents
Someone Like You
A walk in the Clouds
City of Angels
Hannibal
Black hawk down
Scent of a woman
Apocalyto
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
Eurotrip
Batman Begins
Illusionist
Kitaab 1977
War Games - The Dead Code 2008
College Road Trip
Parzania 2007
Hannibal Rising
27 Dresses
Goal
Baazigar 1993
DDLJ
Deewar
Goal 2
Death in a Funeral
Bandit Queen
Guide
Dead or Alive 2006
The Dark Knight
August Rush
Safar 1970
In Bruges 2008
Sweet November
Ab Tak Chappan
Fly boys
Style
Schindler's List
Master and Commander - Far Side of the World
Oceans 11
Oceans 12
Oceans 13
Still Waiting 2009
Sex Drive
Marley and Me
The Boy with the striped Pyjamas
Mission Impossible I
Mission Impossible II
Mission Impossible III
The Departed
Die Hard 1
Die Hard 2
Die Hard 3
Die Hard 4
Madagascar 2005
Aa Dekhen Zaraa 2009
99 2009
Proof of Life
The Pianist
Platoon
Masoom 1983
Forrest Gump
Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey

TV Series:

How I Met Your Mother 3 seasons
Two and a Half Men 5 seasons

Movie Counter:
==============

73 movies and 8 seasons this summer :)

TV Series

2009-04-20T00:11:00.001+05:30

Forgot to add TV series in the last post

Season 3,4,5,6 of 24 :)

Movies this Sem

2009-04-18T01:11:00.001+05:30

Just updating the list of movies seen...

Number reduced to less than 80% of that in the previous sem....

Bommarillu 2006 (not Hindi) (thrice)
Ghajini (not Hindi)
American Beauty
Basic Instinct 1992
Hackers
Slum Dog Millionaire
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Girl Next door
Little Manhattan
Maharathi 2008
Salaam Bombay 1988
Ghajini 2008
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi 2008
Pinjar
Deewangee
1947 Earth
Chandani Chowk to China
Kidnap 2008
Luck By Chance 2009
Lolita
Billu Barber
DevD (twice)
Daud 2002
Waqt Hamara hai 1993
Wafaa
Raaz 2009
Dil Kabaddi
Aitraaz
Paap
Chandani 1989
Tum Bin
Dhoondhte Reh Jaaoge
Delhi 6
Lolita (English)
Kisse Pyaar Karoon
Yes Man
Cast Away
88 Minutes
Kisse Pyaar Karoon 2009
Aaloo Chaat 2009
Dhoondhte Reh Jaoge 2009
Straight 2009
Gulaal
Mistress of Spices
13B
Jugaad
Ek The power of one
Saas Bahu aur Sensex
Lottery
Taxi No. 9211
A walk to remember 2002
Serendipity 2001
When Harry Met Sally

58 movies

My firefox addons

2009-01-13T17:34:00.003+05:30

I have made four firefox addons. It was great fun making them. I am pretty excited.

You need to make a mozilla account for downloading and adding comments. I think I have a chicken-egg problem now. A addon is allowed public only if it has sufficient amount of downloads. None of my friends have mozilla account. So the only way I can increase the number of downloads is to ask them to make accounts.
:(

wierd?? ya.. i know...

In case you are interested to explore what I have made:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/user/3629528

The four addons are:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10089

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10242

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10164

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10174

I expect that number of downloads would increase after this post... :)

If you have downloaded it.. please add comments.. They would be appreciated..
Thanx..